Month: July 2010

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How to Plan for your First Day at Work 10 Quick Tip’s

First Day in a New Job – 10 Tips

Congratulations – You passed your job interview and been offered a job.

Often you’re excitement can quickly turn to nerves as the first day approaches. Does this sound like you?

There are several things you can do to help prepare for your first day and a Career Coach can help you prepare. First try these 10 quick tip’s:

First impressions count

You need to make a good first impression; preparation is the key.

1. First, thank your referees as you may need to call upon them again, hopefully not in the near future. It is often good to ask your referees for a written reference, as by the time you next need a reference your referee may have moved or change company.

2. Check you know where you are going, in some cases the interview venue is different to that of your place of work, and turning up at the wrong venue will not give a very good first impression. Also check how long it will take you to travel to work, complete a mock run – you don’t want to be late.

3. Prepare what you are going to wear (what is appropriate to the job role) wash, shave and brush your teeth – all obvious I know, but some people will need a little reminder

4. Bring any documents, ID or bank details that the employer has requested and check you know who you are asking for on the first day.

Understand the Industry you are working in.

5. You will be asked about your experience and knowledge during the first week of your new job role by many of your new colleagues, as you know you will be asked this question you can prepare your answer, to help give a positive impression of yourself.

6. Research the company, read the company annual report, press releases and website. You may be introduced to the MD or SEO, you can slip into the conversation your knowledge (only say positive things) of the company history and achievements.

Be Positive and Feel Good

7. Before you start your new job – Imagine yourself in your new job, doing well. If this image that you have just created in your mind, is a still picture, press play and turn the image into a movie;

In this movie, picture everyone you talk to being really interested in you and really liking how you present yourself.  When you are asked a question you automatically know how to respond, you don’t know how you know, you just do and this creates a great feeling inside.

In the movie, you’re looking good, you look confident – you feel confident. Imagine yourself really excited about this new adventure, how does it feel to feel confident and excited? Where does this feeling start in your body? Imagine this feeling running quickly through your body; make this image large and colourful. As you feel the full emotion of this visualisation, squeeze your thumb and finger together creating a positive anchor and repeat the exercise 3 times for a fuller effect.

How does this work? If you imagine yourself being happy and confident, you will feel happy and confident, other people who imagine everything going wrong often end up having a bad first day. To be confident, you need to feel confident. An NLP Life Coach can help you improve your confidence and motivation.

8. Write a list of all your skills and qualities, record everything you know your good at, keep going until you can’t think of any more., then add one more to the list!

Write a second list of all the nice things past colleagues and employers have said about you, this can be in formal reviews and appraisals or  just as a passing comment –remember how it felt at the time this was said to you.

And finally write a third list of what you can bring to this new company, what value will you add, how will your past experience help improve the company to help them achieve their goals?

9. Smile, you have been picked from (on average) over 300 other candidates. A smile goes a long way and creates a good first impression, also shake hands with everyone your introduced to.

10. On average the first day is spent being introduced to many people; mangers and colleagues, be prepared to answer repeated questions. You will be asked to sign a large amount of company documents and to read many of their procedures. Have a snack in your suitcase to help keep your energy up.

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Use NLP Perceptual Positions to Improve your Interview Skills

Use NLP Perceptual Positions to Improve your Interview Skills

This NLP exercise helps see how you come across at interviews from different viewpoints, including the interviewers helping you gain new knowledge and understanding, which can be used to quickly improve your interview techniques.

“if you want a different result, do somthing different”

Think about a recent job interview that you feel could have gone better, a job interview that you wish you could have communicated differently or a job interview that left you feeling confused on how you can improve your interview techniques.

It is useful to fully read this technique before trying it.

1. Consider the Interview from your own perspective

Return to this interview fully in your mind and run mental movie of this situation as it occurred on the day of your interview. Re-experience this situation as fully as possible, (becoming totally associated with the emotions you had at the time of the interview) from your own eyes. What can you see? Notice the interviewer you are talking to, hear what they said to you. See the expression on their face, notice their body language. Become aware of how you feel. Speak to the person (out loud or in your head) and use the same language as you originally did. Really relive this experience as you did at the time of the interview. At the end of this episode, rewind this movie and pause the movie at the beginning of this conflict situation.

Break your State by shaking your arms and legs!                                               

2. The Interviewers Position

Now that your movie is ‘paused’ at the beginning, look over at the person interviewing you. Notice how the interviewer is breathing, notice their posture, facial expressions, the way they move. Now consider what their tone of voice is like, do they speak fast or slow, loud or quiet? How to they walk, talk, sit, laugh and relax? What are some of the things you know about this persons; what are their likes and dislikes?

Now imagine floating out of your own body and into the body of the interviewer. Imagine you are inside the interviewer’s skin. Become aware of how this person experiences life. Take on their posture, gestures and their tone of voice.

Set aside your own beliefs and values and replay the interview from the interviewers chair and viewpoint. Pay attention to the thoughts of the interviewer, their self talk and to any insights that surface as you observe the interviewee (you) in front of you.

Use the interviewer’s language to describe what you experience (refer to yourself as you) ask the interviewee the interview questions asked at the time of the interview, look at how they respond and how they communicate to you the interviewer, what have you learnt from this viewpoint, what else can you learn from this interviewers experience of the interview, how did the interviewee (you) come across?

After the scene ends float back into your own body taking with you this new learning and insights.

Break state again by shaking or taking 3 deep breaths.                                            

3. The Interview Observer  

Return to the interview and from your own point of view, before you play out the interview for a third time, float out of your body and move to a detached place, where you can observe both you and the interviewer. Once again re-play the interview as if you were watching and listening to a film or live show. Be curious about what unfolds before you and notice the learning you gain from this third perspective. Listen to the conversation and notice the body language of both the interviewee and the interviewer and how you both respond to each others communications.

After the scene ends, float back into your body bringing with you all the insights and learning from the three perceptual positions. Pay attention to the difference in your experience. Take all the time you need to fully return to yourself before opening your eyes.

Repeat this as many times as you feel is necessary and always end in the first position of you as the interviewee.

An NLP Life Coach can help you improve your interview skills using NLP techniques.

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The Interview Check List

Prepare for the Interview

    • Write a list of your strengths, skills and qualities – highlight the strengths, skills and qualities needed for the job you are being interviewed for.
    • Research the company; you can research the company online by clicking “about us” or “company history” tab on the company website – you will be asked “can you tell me what you know about our company?” during the interview.
    • Complete a mock interview; rehearse what to say and how to respond to interview questions. Also plan a list of questions to ask the interviewer.
    • Plan travel (complete a mock ruin in advance) prepare interview clothes, put CVs and references in a smart-looking file and set your alarm clock – you don’t want to be late!

During the Interview

    • Arrive early; no-one likes a late interviewee. Introduce yourself to the receptionist “good morning my name is Mr X, I have an appointment for an interview with Mrs Y, this morning at 10:00”
    • When asked into the interview, introduce yourself to the interviewer, shake hands and wait to be seated.
    • Have a good induction planned, as a common first interview question is “tell me a little about yourself”
    • Sit up straight, speak clearly and breathe between questions! Lock your hands together if you are nervous as this stops you from fidgeting, make good eye contact and ask for any questions you don’t understand to be repeated.
    • Answer questions using stories and real-life experiences; prove your knowledge, skills and worth by offering evidence or giving numbers, facts and figures.
    • Smile throughout the interview and offer detailed specific answers, relating to your background and experience – remember to discuss your skills that relate to the job specification.
    • Close the interview by asking the interviewer questions relating to the growth of the company, staff development, new contracts and the company employees.
    • Thank the interviewer for their time and shake hands.

After the Interview

    • Review the interview, write a list of what went well; your posture, interview answers, confidence etc. and a second list of what you can improve; speaking more slowly, answering a certain question, eye contact etc.
    • Complete a new mock interview and notice how you have improved with this new learning.
    • Write a thank-you letter to the interviewer indicating your interest within 24 hours of your interview.
    • Prepare references and continue to job search until you have a job offer in writing.
    • If rejected for the position, gain feedback from the interviewer. If offered the job, reply within 10 days.
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Life Coaching in Manchester

Benefits of Life Coaching

Employment King use a mixture of NLP Techniques, Hypnotherapy, Coaching and Guidance questioning to help you move forward in all area’s of your life by focusing on what you truly want to achieve

 
   Past clients goals include:    Employment King specialise in:
  • Achieving a work/life balance
  • A change in Career Direction
  • Starting up your own business
  • To Improve your relationships
  • Making better decisions
  • Quicker personal development
  • Increase in confidence
  • Maximum motivation
  • Building Confidence
  • Reducing Negative Self Talk & Lack of Self Belief
  • Increasing Motivation
  • Phobia Removal
  • Self Esteem Boosting

Our coaches are trained and qualified in NLP, Coaching, Hypnotherapy and Information Advice & Guidance; these techniques help our life coaches understand your situation and needs, empowering us to help you move forward quickly into a positive future.

Life coach sessions are a journey, which starts once you realise that you want to make a change. One of our life coaches will act as your guide on this journey making the path along the way fun, rewarding and most importantly ensuring that you reach your intended destination.

Life Coaching in Manchester

Do you need to make a change? Do you want a different direction in life? Do you want to achieve your goals? Then you will want a life coach because a Life Coach can make your changes happen quickly.

We offer face to face Life Coaching session in Manchester City Centre, if you are not living your dream, then a Life Coach can help.

The questions used in life coaching help you look at your situation from different angles, the questions will allow you to explore your metaphors finding the answers you already had stored away in your subconscious mind.

What To Do Next?

Many people like to coach themselves using Employment King’s Online Coaching Course a 12 week e-coaching course with over 36 activities including videos, audios and presentations. If you want a Life Coach to support you, you can choose:

Online Coaching Course £59.99

Click This Link NOW for more details. The online coaching course is a 12 week course for confidence and motivation with over 36 sessions including videos, e-books and audios.

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Top Ten 10 Telephone Interview Tips

How to prepare for a telephone interview.

Telephone interviews are often the first stage in the application process especially in telesales job roles and when applying for vacancies through recruitment agencies.

Like all job interviews, you need to prepare for the telephone interview.

Many job hunters fail to impress employers when they apply for a vacancy via the telephone, as they have not realised they were going to be interviewed over the phone.

When applying for any vacancy over the telephone be prepared to answer a series of interview questions.

Interview Test

Top Ten Telephone Interview Tips:

1. Read the job advert and job specification and highlight the essentials skills needed for this job role. For each essential skill prepare a short story that highlights the fact that you have this skill, this is the basis to the answers to the interview questions.

2. Review your CV/Application Form, research the company, prepare the interview questions and answer and practice your interview techniques by completing a mock telephone interview with a friend or careers advisor.

3.Use a landline, as mobiles can easily lose signal and be prepared for the interview to last around 45minutes.

4.Prepare your room, put a “do not disturb” sign on the door – you don’t want to be interrupted, make sure no additional noise from other rooms/outside can be heard.

5. Have your CV, interview questions and answers in front of you, with the main sections highlighted.

6. Don’t speak quickly, don’t use slang or talk over the interviewer. When answering questions, be polite give detailed answers highlighting your experiences and skills. Write down any important information given by the interviewer.

7. Write down the interviewer’s name (remember they can’t see what you have in front of you) and use the interviewer’s name throughout the interview.

8. When talking smile and stand up, research has shown, by doing this your voice comes across more positive.

9. Prepare questions to ask the employer  – these should be around training, company expansion, the team and not about Holidays or Pay

10. Thank the interviewer for their time. One you have finished the interview, review what you have done and write a list of what went well and what you need to improve and complete a new mock telephone interview, noticing the improvements you have made.

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How to be Successful

Learn from historic successes

Just One Chance

Many people come to me saying they just need one chance to be successful or I just need one chance to be a millionaire.

Day in day out this can be seen on Reality TV shows like The X Factor “This is my only chance” “This is my last chance” “I will only have this one chance”

Really? Why, what are you doing tomorrow?

This idea that if they catch that one chance or that lucky break that they will be able to succeed. This can be a limiting belief as trial and error is devalued as part of the route necessary to succeed.

How Others Become Successful.

Many successful people make mistakes, get things wrong and may face their lowest ebb before they reach the height of their potential. If you only have one chance and you get it wrong, you will extinguish the flame of your dream. Successful people don’t see mistakes as a failure, but as a learning point.

3 Case Studies for Business Success:

Henry J. Heinz

 Started working when he was 9 years old and became the founder of the famous brand “Heinz”.

From an early age, Henry helped his mother sell vegetables from their back garden and generated new custom by knocking on neighbour’s doors to offer a selection of vegetables from his wheelbarrow.

By the age of 17, Henry was earning £2,400 annually – a handsome salary for a worker in the early 1900’s.

In 1869, Heinz founded the Heinz Noble & Company with L.C. Noble, selling – horseradish.  After almost a century of relative success the company faced ruin and Mr Heinz declared himself bankrupt in 1975.

By learning from his mistakes Henry along with his family was able to take the company in a different direction, established under the new name of H&J Heinz.

By continuing to strive for success and being innovative in his approach Heinz was able to create Tomato Ketchup, 12 million bottles of which are sold throughout the world each year.

Walt Disney

 One of the most famous names worldwide – Disney was multi-talented as a  film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon.

How did it all start? After WW1 Disney set up a Company with cartoonist friend Ubbe Iwwerks which collapsed as quickly as it had begun.

Following this in 1922 Disney gave it another shot and formed ‘Laugh-O-Gram Films’ which was also declared bankrupt before Disney had a chance to finish the company’s production of “Alice in Wonderland”.

Undeterred Disney made his way to Hollywood to find success as a film director however this also failed to work out for Disney.

Finally Disney decided to seek support from those closer to home as he asked his brother to finance the costs of setting up a studio, this became The Disney Brother Studio.

The studio grew and Disney hired more staff with the success of the production of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit’s. Disney then continued to enjoy this success as he created Steamboat Willy and the character Mickey Mouse.  Disney was finally able to realise his dream as he started to make full length animated films.

Tom Cruise

 Tom grew up in a poor family, the family constantly travelled as Tom’s dad chased employment across the USA. Tom has Dyslexia and due to travelling with his family never spent much time in school.

When attending school Tom would be placed in remedial classes and was not an academic success.

Tom found that he was good at athletics and started to compete in many sports, but a knee injury quickly put an end to any dreams of becoming a professional athlete.

Raised in religious family Tom considered priesthood, after a year in a Franciscan Monastery Tom felt priesthood was not for him and that he should continue to search for what was right for him.

Tom’s mother encouraged and supported Tom to pursue a career in acting, with Tom’s passion and drive a successful acting career quickly followed as he has reached worldwide recognition and notoriety for his acting abilities and achievements.

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Management Styles

Management and Leadership Styles

Many describe Management as a process of ‘getting things done’ by the people who work for the manager. A good manager possesses the ability to inspire their staff to their full potential.

A productive manager needs to know the personalities and abilities of each staff member, will create a vision for the company, have effective communication skills and have a desire to achieve.

A good manager must be able:

  • Plan measurable goals with timed completion dates           
  • Able to organise people and ‘things’                                          
  • Possess the ability to motivate staff and keep up staff morale    

Some managers already have personality traits that work well in management roles, like all roles, good managers will learn from mistakes and focus on achieving their goals.

Managers manage their teams in different ways research has shown there are 4 management and leadership styles

4 main management styles

  1. Autocratic Management Style
  2. Democratic Management Style
  3. Participative Management style
  4. Laissez-Faire Management style

Autocratic

“I like to make all the decisions, I will give you a task to do and tell how you should complete it without asking for you input or suggestions. I will closely supervise my staff and use one way communication.

My management style works well when a quick decision needs making without involving others but I can often drive staff away leaving a high turn over of staff”

Paternalistic

“when making a decision I will first listen and gain the views of my staff, the inputs from my staff will moderate my decision but ultimately I still make the decision which I feel is in the best interest of my team. I see my self as a father figure and feel by getting the staffs input on decisions they will accept them more willingly”

Democratic

“I like to delegate work to my staff, giving them the responsibility and authority – my style is about other people getting things done. I communicate well and listen to what my staffs has to say. I will talk in one to one situations or in groups to gain new ideas from staff and I always encourage leadership skills in others. Due to me enjoying listening to other peoples suggestions, I sometimes stake longer to reach a decision”

Laissez Faire

“I like to get things done through other people, I will give my staff a job to do and let them have complete freedom in how they do it. I rarely get involved once I have given you a job to do and I feel my management style works well with confrontations as I don’t take sides; others may feel I’m irresponsible and that I’m not on top of my tasks”

You will generally have a natural preference to one style, but one style does not fit into all situations. To improve your management skills, understand each of the management styles and use all the different styles depending on the work situation.

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How to Pass a Group Interview

Group Job Interview Methods

Interviewers use a verity of methods to interview job hunters, the most common is a one to one interview closely followed by group interviews often used for sectors working with the public or in a team.

It is vital to have knowledge of all the different interviews employers use as part of the interview process, to ensure you are properly prepared.

Generally, when you gain a group interview you will be asked to complete a “group exercise” – build a bridge out of straws, complete a brain teaser or make a jigsaw, etc. The employer has no concerns if you complete the task or not, they are more interested in your reactions to others, your communication skills and how you work within a team.

By following these ten tips you can quickly gain a head start above the other interviewees:

  • Start by introducing yourself to the other interviewees and interviewers. Be polite and friendly and remembers people’s names.
  • Listen to the instructions for the group exercise, if possible write them down.
  • The first thing the interviewer will look for is to see who joins in with the activities; group interviews are generally used by employers looking for team members. If you don’t join in with the interview team activity, you probably won’t work well within a team environment.

Group Interview – working with groups

  • Join in with the group discussions and don’t dominate, let others have their say and give your own opinion.
  • Boost group morel, by telling people when they have had a good idea or suggestion. If someone is being quiet, ask for their opinion. This will show the interviewers that you try to involve others and will suggest you have managerial skills.
  • When you’re worried about your interview performances, an interview coach can help you prepare.

Group Interview People Skills

  • Learn to compromise and accept others’ ideas with an open mind, remember the idea of the task is to see if you work well within a team not to solve the problem – even though solving the problem can’t help; Google group activities for ideas and solutions.
  • When someone disagrees with you, say “it’s good to get everyone’s opinions and ideas” and ask how the solution can be improved. Don’t make disagreements personal, keep focused on the problem/solution, remember you’re a Team Player.

Group Interview – pre-interview preparation

  • Prepare a list of questions you can ask the group to get them motivated “has anyone come across this group exercise before?”
  • During the group feedback to the interviewer, demonstrate to the employer that you have participated in the group exercise and that you gave some of the input. You may gain bonus points by being the group member who feedbacks (have other group members join in with you)
  • Be enthusiastic throughout and when asked questions by the interviewer, mention your experiences and how this helped you complete the exercise. If you knew the answer to the group task don’t let on, slowly give hints to the group to pass the task. It’s more important to demonstrate team skills rather than being someone who knows the answer immediately.

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Recruitment Agencies – A bit Tricky

Get the upper hand with a job recruitment agency

Job hunters will often turn to recruitment agencies to help secure employment and why not, recruitment agencies will search for vacancies on your behalf, give advice on your CV and facilitate between you and the employer, your start date.

There are many good agencies you should sign up to and many agencies that give the recruitment agency sector a bad name and should be avoided, below are some of the reasons why.

Tricks Recruitment Agencies:

Advertise False Vacancies

This is a well-known recruitment trick, by advertising false vacancies, job seekers will register with the agency, and this allows the agency to boast to employers about the high level of potential employees and CVs they have on their database.

Asking for References

The agency will ask for a reference for the “false” vacancy. Remember there is no job, the agency is looking to gain new employer contact details.

Gaining Contact Details

When you supply the agency with the company name you previously worked for, they will ask “who was your line manager, was it Mr “False Name” and the common response is “No, it was Mr “Real Name” The agency now have a new contact for a new business that they will approach.

Finding Employers

Recruitment agencies need to find companies that are recruiting, they will offer the recruitment service and make money by charging a percentage off the employee’s wage. Agencies will often ask you to tell them which companies you have applied to; they now have new companies to contact. Once these companies’ sign up to the recruitment service you will quickly have double the competition for the position, that until you told the recruitment agency they didn’t know about.

The Perfect Job

The phone rings and the agency tell you “I have the perfect job for you but you need to start immediately!” If your working you may be advised to take this perfect job (remember when you take a job the agency gain a percentage of your wage, the more people who take jobs the more money they earn) even when you are employed, they may even tell that this job is so good you should walk out of your present job – burning your bridges and chances of a good reference.

Wage Decrease

Once you are offered a job, you may be told they were not able to secure the rate that you wanted. This is rubbish as they have already had discussions with the company regarding the rate of pay.

They may also tell you “there aren’t many of these jobs about I would take it if I was you” only take the job if you are happy with the wage, the recruitment agency wants you to take the job so they can earn more money, they are not interested in you as a person.

Time is Money

If you fail one or two interviews, the agency will tell you that they will keep looking for work for you, they won’t they will just drop you. They don’t want to spend time looking for work for someone who can’t pass interviews. Really they should give you interview advice to help you pass future job interviews, but they feel …time is money.

Introduction Fee

We all get excited at a prospect of a £500 introduction fee, recruitment agencies will offer you this fee if you introduce them to an employer which leads to a job. You will only receive this payment if you find out about the job and after you continue to ask for your fee.

Like we said at the beginning not all recruitment agencies are like this, just be aware and look for these tell tale signs.

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Free CV Review

CV Review

All job hunters from cleaners to accountants can benefit from a free CV review.

If you possess a good CV, you will already be gaining job interviews and most likely would never think to search for a CV review.

If your CV does not generate job interviews then something needs to change quickly, your first step is to check if your CV can be improved. Often CVs only need a little tinkering or re-designing, these small changes often lead into an increase of job interviews and job offers.

Free CV Review Service

As a free service offered by many CV writing companies, you should quickly take advantage of this great service. Warning – if any CV writing company ask for a deposit or your bank details then do not trust them, this should be a free service.

CV Template

If you need a CV creating from scratch, CV templates can help to get you started. The secrets of employment comes with a free CV pack containing CV templates, Personal Profile Templates and Key Words, Hobbies and Interest Templates and Employment History Templates, helping you create a CV in minutes – all you need to do is add in your contact details and education.